The present invention describes an automatic propagation material sampling system, a propagation material sampling automation process and propagation material sampling equipment. More specifically, the present invention comprises a machine for anti-contaminating captation of propagation material samples in a non-destructive way, that is, maintaining the ability of subsequent propagation of the sampled propagation material, transports and tracks the sample without its contamination with residues of other materials, as well as tracks samples with desirable characteristics. The present invention is located in the fields of agronomic engineering and automation engineering, focused on the area of sample testing automation.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An automatic propagation material sampling system, comprising: at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine comprising at least one sample extraction device and at least one sample collection device configured to: extract at least one sample from a propagation material, wherein the at least one sample is extracted by maintaining a propagation capacity of a sampled propagation material, and wherein the at least one sample extraction device, comprises: an inlet cavity with an orifice, wherein the propagation material is positioned in the inlet cavity, and wherein a predetermined volume of the propagation material passes through the orifice, an extraction tool configured to extract the at least one sample from the propagation material, wherein the extraction tool is configured to extract the predetermined volume of the propagation material to maintain the propagation capacity of the sampled propagation material, a cavity, wherein the at least one sample passes through the cavity after extraction, at least one fluid projection tube configured to project fluid over the sample extraction tool to remove fragments of the sampled propagation material after the at least one sample is extracted, and at least one exhaust channel configured to exhaust the projected fluid and the fragments; and project the at least one sample in a free fall to transfer the at least one sample by means of gravitational attraction, wherein the gravitational attraction causes the at least one sample to be transferred to a sample storage microplate in the sample collection device that is configured to collect the at least one sample when projected in the free fall, passing through the cavity of the at least one sample extraction device towards the sample collection device.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprises at least one propagation material entry and sample output machine configured to store the at least one sample from the anti-contaminant sample captation machine.
3. The system of claim 2, further comprises at least one sampled propagation material storage machine configured to store the sampled propagation material, coming from the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine and led to the at least one sampled propagation material storage machine by the at least one propagation material entry and sample output machine.
4. A propagation material sampling automation process, comprising: positioning of a propagation material in an anti-contaminant sample captation machine, wherein the anti-contaminant sample captation machine comprises a sample extraction device and a sample collection device, and wherein the propagation material is positioned in an inlet cavity with an orifice, of the sample extraction device; extracting a sample from the propagation material by an extraction tool of the sample extraction device of the anti-contaminant sample captation machine, wherein a predetermined volume of the propagation material passes through the orifice and wherein the predetermined volume of the propagation material is extracted, by the extraction tool, to maintain the propagation capacity of the sampled propagation material; projecting the sample in a free fall to transfer the sample by means of gravitational attraction, wherein the gravitational attraction causes the sample to be transferred to a sample storage microplate in the sample collection device when projected in the free fall; collecting the sample extracted from the propagation material in the sample storage microplate of the sample collection device of the anti-contaminant sample captation machine, wherein the sample, when projected in the free fall, passes through a cavity of the sample extraction device towards the sample collection device; storing of the sample of the propagation material in the sample storage microplate; and projecting fluid over the sample extraction tool, using at least one fluid projection tube in the sample extraction device, to remove fragments of the sampled propagation material after the sample is extracted, wherein the projected fluid and the fragments are exhausted via at least one exhaust channel in the sample extraction device.
5. The process of claim 4, wherein the process further comprises cleaning the sample extraction device after projecting the sample in the free fall.
6. A propagation material sampling equipment comprising: at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine, wherein the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine comprises: at least one sample extraction device, configured to: extract at least one sample from a propagation material, wherein the at least one sample is extracted by maintaining a propagation capacity of a sampled propagation material, and wherein the at least one sample extraction device, comprises: an inlet cavity with an orifice, wherein the propagation material is positioned in the inlet cavity, and wherein a predetermined volume of the propagation material passes through the orifice, an extraction tool configured to extract the at least one sample from the propagation material, wherein the extraction tool is configured to extract the predetermined volume of the propagation material to maintain the propagation capacity of the sampled propagation material, a cavity, wherein the at least one sample passes through the cavity after extraction, at least one fluid projection tube configured to project fluid over the sample extraction tool to remove fragments of the sampled propagation material after the at least one sample is extracted, and at least one exhaust channel configured to exhaust the projected fluid and the fragments; and project the at least one sample in a free fall to transfer the at least one sample by means of gravitational attraction, wherein the gravitational attraction causes the at least one sample to be transferred to a sample storage microplate when projected in the free fall; and at least one sample collection device including the sample storage microplate, configured to collect the at least one sample, wherein the at least one sample falls in the free fall passing through the cavity of the at least one sample extraction device towards the sample storage microplate in the at least one sample collection device.
7. The propagation material sampling equipment of claim 6, wherein the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine further comprises at least one propagation material peeling device configured to peel the propagation material prior to extraction of the at least one sample.
8. The propagation material sampling equipment of claim 6, wherein the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine is associated with at least one propagation material entry and sample output machine, and wherein the at least one propagation material entry and sample output machine comprises at least one propagation material handling robot configured to transfer the propagation material from a propagation material inlet to the anti-contamination sample captation machine and takes the at least one sample and the sampled propagation material from the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine.
9. The propagation material sampling equipment of claim 8, wherein the propagation material entry and sample outlet machine, the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine are associated with a sampled propagation material storage machine configured to store the sampled propagation material, from the at least one anti-contaminant sample captation machine and led to the sampled propagation material storage machine by the propagation material entry and sample output machine.
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November 3, 2020
May 6, 2025
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